The Two-lever Argument Against Free Will
Image from skeptically.org
- The previous state of the universe
How the universe was configured at the moment prior to you making a decision. - The laws that govern the universe
The physical rules that will determine how the universe transitions from one state to another, namely from the previous-state to the next-state.
If you do not have some measure of influence on at least one of these two variables, you simply cannot affect (let alone control) any future state of the universe. Thus, if you are unable to control any future state of the universe, then--regardless of how it may feel to someone--you are incapable of making a true, free decision. Instead, causal events are moving *through* you, and you are being given the perception that you made a choice.
Neither quantum randomness nor consciousness provide an escape from this. Randomness simply removes predictability from the universe, it does not provide humans any additional control of outcomes. Similarly, consciousness--since it does not offer the ability to control the previous state of the universe or its laws--offers no escape either--despite strong instinctual feelings to the contrary.
A Thought Experiment
At what point did every molecule of your being stop being 100% outside of your control? For the vast majority of the unvierse's history, you and all other humans didn't exist, and the world worked according the laws that determine how the fundamental particles of matter interact with each other.
So at what point between you not existing and you being an adult did your decision-making process inject itself in the middle of natural, causal interactions that were taking place before you were born? The answer is never. Nothing changed. You have today, as an adult, precisely the same amount of control over the universe that you had before you were born. None.
Here's the argument in deductive form:
- Future states of our universe are defined by a combination of two things: 1) the previous state of the universe, and 2) the laws of physics that govern how one state moves to the next.
- Humans have not always existed and are a product of said universe.
- Humans lack the ability to control any previous state of the universe.5
- Humans lack the ability to control the laws of physics.
- Therefore, humans are unable to affect any future state of the universe.
There are two levers--the universe's state before you make a decision, and the laws that govern transitions to the next state. Demonstrate that you can pull one or the other and you have demonstrated free will. Failing to do so keeps you within the natural, causal cycle of [pre-existing state + physical law = outcome], which are all things humans have absolutely no control over. ::
Notes
1 My two-lever argument is similar to Galen Strawson's "Basic Argument", which can be found here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen_Strawson#Free_will], but I believe his "because of what we are" needs to be unpacked more before it can be convincing to most.
2 There's actually a third lever: The supernatural. E.g. "God gave us free will". The reason it wasn't included should be obvious.
3 For insight into why I think this matters, please read this: [http://danielmiessler.com/blog/free-will-vs-determinism-as-the-core-of-political-disagreement]
4 I don't believe the Heap Fallacy applies here because the argument doesn't hinge upon the meaning of word that is ambiguous, e.g. "heap", "tall", etc. The question at hand is whether we can interfere with physical interactions taking place (physics), and not the definition of one word or another.
5 States of the universe in this context mean the current, precise configuration of the molecules in your body and its surroundings at the point of decision, including location, speed, spin, etc.
